span style=”font-weight: bold;”> MARY LUTZ
Mary Lutz, the director for endurance and para-equestrian at the U.S. Equestrian Federation, died June 9 from injuries she incurred in a riding accident. She was 55.

Miss Lutz, of Basking Ridge, N.J., had taken the day off, her 55th birthday, to spend trail riding her horse, Hoagie, when she fell off and broke her neck. She was airlifted to Morristown Memorial Hospital, where she later died.

Miss Lutz was a respected friend, colleague, and mentor to many in the equestrian community. John Long, chief executive officer of the
U.S. Equestrian Federation, remembered when he met Miss Lutz for the first time:

“My first one-on-one time with Mary was in Asheville [N.C.] at an endurance competition in 2004,” said Long. ” I was captured by her dedication, but even more taken by how others approached her. She was gentle and imminently likable but not compromising. Mary’s passion for para-equestrian, coupled with her quiet dedicated humanity, will always be my memory of her.”

Miss Lutz began working for the USEF–then known as the U.S. Equestrian Team–in Gladstone, N.J., in 1994 as the International High Performance Dressage and Endurance Assistant Director. She then became director of driving activities and eventually moved into endurance and para-equestrian.

Miss Lutz graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University (N.J.) with a bachelor’s degree in English and journalism. In addition to working for the USEF, Miss Lutz spent time as a computer programmer, a groom for a pairs driver, an instructor in therapeutic riding and a trail guide in Quebec.

Some of her favorite experiences were traveling the world to competitions and cheering on the athletes. In a 2004 Equestrian magazine article by Brian Sosby, Miss Lutz said one her favorite medal moments was when Valerie Kanavy won the individual gold medal and the U.S. took team silver at the 1998 World Endurance Championships in the United Arab Emirates. Another cherished memory was when paralympian Lynn Seidemann won gold and silver medals at the 2003 Disabled World Championship in Belgium.

In that same article Miss Lutz described her dedication to her own horse, an 11-year-old, homebred Oldenburg, that she said “is truly part of me.”

Miss Lutz is survived by her parents, Mary and Michael Lutz of Watchung, N.J.

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on June 24 at St. Joseph Shrine, 1050 Long Hill Rd., Sterling, NJ 07980. The USEF/USETF will host a reception at Hamilton Farm following the service.

Memorial contributions may be made to the USET Foundation programs for endurance and para-equestrian, 1040 Pottersville Rd., P.O. Box 355, Gladstone, NJ 07934-9955. Staff

FRANCIS A. O’KEEFE
Prominent Thoroughbred breeder Francis Aloysius O’Keefe, of Roanoke, Va., died on May 30. He was 86.

Dr. O’Keefe was born in New York, N.Y., the son of Francis A. O’Keefe Sr. and Julia K. DeHayes O’Keefe. He grew up in New York City, attended Duke University (N.C.) and received a degree in veterinary medicine from the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. O’Keefe was married to Lillian Elizabeth Faulconer O’Keefe for 46 years, until her death in 1989.

Dr. O’Keefe’s parents purchased Pine Brook Farm near Warrenton, Va., in 1938. After Dr. O’Keefe was released from the U.S. Army, he raised Thoroughbreds there from 1945 until 2003, when he moved to Roanoke.

He and his wife bred and raised Kauai King, who won the Kentucky Derby and Preakness in 1966, and many other stakes winners and stakes-placed horses. He was a past president of The Virginia Thoroughbred Association, a past director of the Fasig-Tipton Sales Company, a past chairman of the Fauquier County Planning Commission and was inducted into The Virginia Thoroughbred Association Hall of Fame.

Dr. O’Keefe was preceded in death by his wife, his parents and his one sister, Ruth O’Keefe Meredith. He is survived by two sons, Edward M. O’Keefe of Roanoke and William F. O’Keefe of Leesburg, Va., and three grandchildren.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center, P. O. Box 1938, Leesburg, VA 20177 or to the Good Samaritan Hospice, 3825 Electric Rd., SW, Roanoke, VA 24018. Staff


ANN “WISSIE” BREDE
Ann “Wissie” Brede, a Thoroughbred owner, breeder and prominent horse show judge, died May 28 of complications from ovarian cancer.

A long-time Pennsylvania resident, Mrs. Brede and her husband, Thom, moved their Thoroughbred operation from Pennsylvania to Kentucky, where they owned and operated Audley End Farm in Stamping Ground.

Mrs. Brede was named the Pennsylvania Horsewoman of the Year for 2006. She was an R-rated judge in hunters, hunter breeding, hunter seat equitation and jumpers with the U.S. Equestrian Federation, and in more than 40 years of judging she presided over all of the major shows in the United States and Canada. She and her husband, also an R-rated judge, often worked together at horse shows.

In addition to her husband, Mrs. Brede is survived by daughter Jessica Carolin, of Maryland; two grandchildren, Tom Carolin and Katie Fidler; and sister-in-law Marlene Hylbert, of South Carolina.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Hospice of the Bluegrass, 506 E. Pike St., Cynthiana, KY 41031, or to the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, 4089 Iron Works Pike, Lexington, KY 40511. Staff


D. MICHAEL SMITHWICK
Daniel Michael “Mikey” Smithwick, a legendary figure in steeplechase racing, died from a form of Parkinson’s disease at his family farm in Hydes, Md., on May 29. He was 78.

Mr. Smithwick was the son of the late Alfred Smithwick, who emigrated from Ireland in the 1920s to become the honorary huntsman and manager of the Harford Hunt Club (now Elkridge-Harford) in Maryland.

Mr. Smithwick, along with his older brother, Paddy, grew up among horses and foxhunting. As an amateur steeplechase rider, Mr. Smithwick rode a record six winners of the Maryland Hunt Cup, while Paddy became one of the country’s best professional steeplechase jockeys. He was leading rider five times between 1947 and 1966 and retired with 398 wins. He died of lung cancer at age 46 in 1973.

Mr. Smithwick became a trainer of steeplechase horses and in 1948, at age 28, he was placed in charge of the horses owned by Mrs. Ogden Phipps. His other owners included Theodora A. Randolph and June H. McKnight.

With Paddy riding, Mr. Smithwick was the National Steeplechase Association’s leading steeplechase trainer 12 times between 1957 and 1970. Three horses trained by Mr. Smithwick are in the Hall of Fame of Racing, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.�Neji, Bon Nouvel and Jay Trump. Mr. Smithwick was admitted to the Hall of Fame in 1971, Paddy in 1973.

“He’d ridden in so many races himself that he could describe exactly how to do it,” said his son D.M. “Speedy” Smithwick Jr., who won three runnings of the Iroquois (Tenn.) aboard his father’s Uncle Edwin. “Then he would say, ‘And you’ve got to be ready to go to Plan B if you have to.’ He was a tremendous rider–more at home on a horse than on foot.”

Regardless of ability, all horses and people got a chance at Mr. Smithwick’s farm. “His favorite thing was to teach people about horses–young people, old people, it didn’t matter,” added Speedy, now a trainer based in Kentucky. “He was a terrific teacher, and I think he enjoyed that the most.”

Mr. Smithwick is survived by his wife, the former Dorothy Fred of Middleburg, Va., his sons D.M. Smithwick Jr., of Louisville, Ky., and Roger Smithwick, of Fair Hill, Md., and his grandchildren, Katherine and Patricia Smithwick, of Louisville.

Appropriately, Mr. Smithwick’s ashes were spread on the Maryland Hunt Cup course.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Maryland 4-H Foundation, 8020 Greenmead Dr., College Park, MD 20740. P. W.